


Common Word

by Zy_Khrymzynn



Series: Nathmarc November 2020 [28]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Bunkers, M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27769744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zy_Khrymzynn/pseuds/Zy_Khrymzynn
Summary: NMN Day 28: AcceptNo thoughts, head empty, only bread.
Relationships: Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Series: Nathmarc November 2020 [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995844
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Common Word

Communicating with someone who couldn’t speak the same language as you was difficult, but they agreed to make it work. Learning the words the other person used for common objects, pointing and gesturing, and just taking way longer to hold a conversation was of course a struggle, but they made it work.

He’d learned along the way that Nath had a decontamination shower ( _ that _ was difficult to explain), so he was clean from radiation. And he’d actually figured out that the easiest way to communicate with each other was writing. The languages they spoke were sort of similar and they had the same script, so writing was the easiest way to communicate.

_ “So, what are we doing today?”  _ He wrote on the note, while speaking it aloud, in both the languages they knew, then passed it to Nath.

It took a full three minutes for a response, but he did get one, spoken and written in both means of speech.

_ “Probably looking for people. Like yesterday.” _

_ “Alright. That sounds good.” _

They had been going around in a day’s radius from the Compound, trying to find people that they knew, or spoke a language they understood. Six days straight and they hadn’t found anyone yet. He was starting to lose hope.

_ “Maybe we should go to the Southern City, there’s a lot of people there, who knows, we might find someone we know.” _

_ “We’ll have to take the truck though. Is it ready?” _

_ “I fixed it up over two weeks. It should work now.” _

The truck in question was pretty interesting. How it was built he wasn’t sure, but he’d been working on repairing it and making it actually work. He still didn’t know how the main power source worked, but all that mattered was that it worked. He had a final estimate that it was about seventy percent reliable. Still, it would take several hours to do the 175km journey from the Compound to Southern City, based on the conditions of the roads. They loaded up the trailer with necessary supplies, enough to last for over a week on the occasion that the power source of the truck failed.

But luckily enough, the truck managed to stay powered until they saw the concrete, corrugated metal, and wire monstrosity that was the outer wall of Southern City. There were massive signs along the way, with messages written in dozens of languages he couldn’t understand, most of them didn’t even have the same lettering, but on the seventh sign he slowed to a stop, this was the language he understood.

_ “Sector Three-zero-eight-four, language number five-seven-zero-zero-nine, word code: principal system colossal extreme negative united victory. Current speakers: Evilos Nexioen, Njiem Esalllan, Karabihm Muhammad Insalam, Nomaplen Inkier, Ivanian Niverteleskilosky, Boyie EwLoehi, Vinderlin B’Iodln, Kiristan Morhlejos, Loki Ebanar, Nakajima Ekiodo…” _

He continued looking down the list but there were no names he recognized. And the next sign was written in Nath’s language (language 41293), there still was nobody they knew. He still wrote down the word code and he saw Nath doing the same. Maybe they should move to Southern City, he even saw the beginnings of farming developing.

Of course it was ruined because when they got back into the truck and started to drive away, there was a warning siren, and then blimps appeared on the horizon. That’s not good. The road was rough, and driving down it was difficult, but they avoided the blimps. 

_ “Alright, maybe we shouldn’t move down here.” _

_ “Yeah, we’ll be safer in the compound.” _

‘

Three days later, someone was knocking on the door of the compound. How they found the hidden door he didn’t know, and he was ready to ignore them until he heard a female voice yell out “Help! Please help me! I don’t know if you can understand what I’m saying, but please help me!”

He looked at Nath, who’d understood  _ some _ of the words and knew that he understood them all. What were the odds that some random chick would speak the same language. He walked over the front steel door and looked through the viewer. It showed mostly what he was expecting, a thin young woman covered in rags, and a truck with a gun mounted on it. What the hell was going on? Whatever, He went back behind the decon shower room and pulled the door open just enough for her to slide through and then he closed it.

“Why were you being pursued?” He asked through the glass.

She gestured to her body, the implication was obvious.

“Alright, I know this is a lot to ask, but we need to have you take a shower. I know there’s glass here but… hold on….”

He slid a metal panel over the glass, and then slid a small container of body wash/shampoo, a washcloth, and a towel in a box. The radiative effects weren’t that strong, so a good wash should get it all out. The water turned on, and fifteen minutes later, it turned off. In the time that she’d been showering, he found a set of clothes that looked like they would fit her. He slid it through a slot once the shower was finished.

“Thank you for doing all of this! I’m surprised you can understand me.”

“It happens, I’ve seen the signs in Southern City.”

“Well, I’ll do everything I can to help out around here! Oh, and I’m Alcythiya, what’s your name?”

“Marc.”


End file.
